Young Hawks ‘Swoop’ and ‘Iggy’ Prepare to Fly the Nest
Two young red-tail hawk siblings who have lived in a large tree on Saint Joseph’s James J. Maguire ’58 Campus since hatching in early May are preparing to begin their lives away from the nest.
'Swoop' and 'Iggy'. Photo by Christopher Dixon.
PHILADELPHIA (June 26, 2014) — Two young red-tail hawk siblings who have lived in a large tree on Saint Joseph’s James J. Maguire ’58 Campus since hatching in early May are preparing to begin their lives away from the nest. According to Mike McCann, Ph.D., professor of biology and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the hawks will continue to live with their parents “Crimson” (female), and “Grey” (male), for the next two months, but will probably only return to the nest on rare occasions.
The juvenile hawks have been seen in the area of the nest, located in a tall pine tree next to the McShain pedestrian bridge that spans City Avenue, where they are learning to fly. Originally known as E1 and E2, the progeny are now called “Swoop” and “Iggy,” and were named in a recent contest. “Iggy” is an affectionate nod to the founder of the Jesuit order, St. Ignatius of Loyola, the patron saint of the worldwide network of Jesuit universities. Jesuits founded Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia in 1861.
Swoop and Iggy were first seen on Thursday, May 15, via SJU’s Hawkcam, a webcam trained on the nest that has earned an enthusiastic following among the faculty, staff, students, and friends of the University.
“The SJU community and others have been monitoring the activity of the nest since our Hawkcam was installed in early April,” says McCann, who is also the director of the Institute for Environmental Stewardship. “We’re thrilled that Crimson and Grey have successfully parented their chicks, and that we can share this exciting event from nature with others through Hawkcam.”